Think Atheist2016-12-09T17:28:22ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morganhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/EmXvm3BJSF-Lqi0n0AthN8vq865-SDmqpYZAuUaS8BqSjGIORKDskYqKXAQF7FPUKaa-CZBaqCesFs2SVDyw1p8yayg8pAIE/1158860035.png?xgip=0%3A0%3A1077%3A1077%3B%3B&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=2x2iq8g3od0j0&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIs this religious symbol a violation of the US first amendment?tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-09:1982180:Topic:16088842016-12-09T00:02:17.544ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p><a href="http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/files/im/Ph1A3g0.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/files/im/Ph1A3g0.jpg"></img></a></p>
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<p><span>American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Centre is going through legal proceedings over a Christian cross statue on US federal property. </span></p>
<p>So is this a violation of the US constitution's First Amendment? …</p>
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<p><a href="http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/files/im/Ph1A3g0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/files/im/Ph1A3g0.jpg" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><span>American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Centre is going through legal proceedings over a Christian cross statue on US federal property. </span></p>
<p>So is this a violation of the US constitution's First Amendment? </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/12/07/conservative-group-slams-humanists-saying-war-memorial-giant-cross-promotes-christianity/" target="_blank">&lt;Article Source&gt;</a></p> Five pretty moons with possible lifetag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-08:1982180:Topic:16089292016-12-08T23:22:42.011ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p>There are four moons that orbit Jupiter and one that orbits Saturn that are roughly the size of our own moon, are beautiful, have very unique features, one likely has a subsurface liquid water ocean, two others may too, one has liquid methane lakes (as liquid methane has a very low freezing point), one even has plumes of (most likely) water spewing out of the surface at incredible pressure. It means these are the best bets for the possibility of some extraterrestrial…</p>
<p>There are four moons that orbit Jupiter and one that orbits Saturn that are roughly the size of our own moon, are beautiful, have very unique features, one likely has a subsurface liquid water ocean, two others may too, one has liquid methane lakes (as liquid methane has a very low freezing point), one even has plumes of (most likely) water spewing out of the surface at incredible pressure. It means these are the best bets for the possibility of some extraterrestrial life. </p>
<p>Titan</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0WXvpNKZbOurRfnbQ3f5cPR3fuSLY4t4yNqeM6hto1FUrbuK4WU*4Y7kAQYRlNw6GFoPZtd7xcRbMy1OexOxcSs/titanlakes.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0WXvpNKZbOurRfnbQ3f5cPR3fuSLY4t4yNqeM6hto1FUrbuK4WU*4Y7kAQYRlNw6GFoPZtd7xcRbMy1OexOxcSs/titanlakes.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Titan most certainly has some kind of surface liquid (the best guess is something close to methane) meaning it may have a liquid cycle (somewhat like Earth's water cycle) and there is always the possibility of some strange life forming as liquid methane stays a liquid at temperatures well below zero. No one quite has any details per how. But it is a beautiful planet and worth visiting! </p>
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<p>Europa</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0V3t9F4LJsU1shYPZiUAOund32bNCVgwjicb-wavaCGWPffKDijXVmhv6apd4pO-UxNXJPB-wLOk8SRTQFimZS3/Europa.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0V3t9F4LJsU1shYPZiUAOund32bNCVgwjicb-wavaCGWPffKDijXVmhv6apd4pO-UxNXJPB-wLOk8SRTQFimZS3/Europa.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>This is the most gorgeous moon (or even planet) for me and also the most interesting. It has an extremely smooth surface made of silicate, has a very light oxygen atmosphere, possibly has a liquid water ocean under the crust and there may even be melt layers of water which might explain the beautiful red streaks. Also it shares the name with Europe which is the continent with the most Atheists or non-believers in God, the highest concentration of generous humanistic socialist-governments, very yummy fresh croissants in the morning and, of course, the birth place of the "I'm a barbie girl" song.</p>
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<p>Calisto</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0UkTMgSIrBk4YU*dQQq1zgHneoBaB58rA8hwB6z49sm4KFWUmO8P70U4rDS9DpR3arGNeVSX1Y4lrwiUKouljHl/calisto.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0UkTMgSIrBk4YU*dQQq1zgHneoBaB58rA8hwB6z49sm4KFWUmO8P70U4rDS9DpR3arGNeVSX1Y4lrwiUKouljHl/calisto.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Calisto is one of the oldest and is definitely the most cratered object in the solar system. It is rock and ice, possibly has a liquid ocean under the crust (but at 100km from the surface we won't be visiting it any time soon) and also has some particularly beautiful craters with double and triple rings. It is so utterly cratered that it's hard to fine one square km that doesn't show signs of impact. It's also a pretty moon that looks something like a teenagers face after eating too many pizza pockets.</p>
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<p>Ganymede</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0UCqVx6atKI*71Nkc3tcBa3NNXIg3hq4jxHUtgMfrSzcPuH3QMJ*BSlm3lFuCvRtibXoxWAzLaCA2Yj26SOv3N4/ganymede.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0UCqVx6atKI*71Nkc3tcBa3NNXIg3hq4jxHUtgMfrSzcPuH3QMJ*BSlm3lFuCvRtibXoxWAzLaCA2Yj26SOv3N4/ganymede.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>This might be where we hit the jackpot. While it's the least spectacular in colours or features, it is larger than Mercury, has a notable atmosphere and almost certainly has a very large internal ocean. It has water ice all over it's surface (meaning you'll have no problems making mojitos or margaritas). There is an atmosphere that likely contains some oxygen (though you'll still need to wear a helmet if you don't want to become a popsicle in a matter of seconds). All of the moons have a surface temperature well below . There are planned projects to land on Ganymede and bore through the crust to analyse the subsurface water. A couple hitches that delay the European space agency is first no clear idea how they'll bore though the surface and their terrible record at landing things on far away rocks.</p>
<p>Io</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0VqGIz0nBwxG4XCzL95aCL7GQMTWjYgWbUDpOT2tqVrDR7x*OiJ3K1SM-Bwb0xV-3FdclApzfN4C8ZYGAjprkQo/Io.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0VqGIz0nBwxG4XCzL95aCL7GQMTWjYgWbUDpOT2tqVrDR7x*OiJ3K1SM-Bwb0xV-3FdclApzfN4C8ZYGAjprkQo/Io.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>We shouldn't expect Io to have any ocean of any kind because there's next to no water anywhere on the planet. It's also highly volcanic meaning a landing would have to be very well executing considering the massive plumes from volcano eruptions and lava flows that cover hundreds of kilometers. I wouldn't quite call it a pretty moon but it is certainly the most beautiful of all moons composed of two vowels and no consonants. It is covered by a lot of frosty sulfur so it's not a place one would go to for a casual picnic. </p> PUNS!tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-08:1982180:Topic:16086842016-12-08T04:29:10.509ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
She insulted my apartment so I knocked her flat.
She insulted my apartment so I knocked her flat. Hellish Venustag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-07:1982180:Topic:16086682016-12-07T22:43:32.967ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p><span><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0X8DYZdwrqvIYnL-GR59CgS*hMlJFFdmAoMSciMWg4Fti8aGSs0HPLpbnhapUvmpQdjhr3SBGUbtzREE3bVaxnv/venus.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0X8DYZdwrqvIYnL-GR59CgS*hMlJFFdmAoMSciMWg4Fti8aGSs0HPLpbnhapUvmpQdjhr3SBGUbtzREE3bVaxnv/venus.jpg" width="450"></img></a> This is an image of a soviet lander on Venus from decades ago...properly rendered for the first time. Venus is a nightmare planet. The surface is 460ºC (our bodies would not burn but as most oxygen is CO2...but would puff up instantly and then liquefy), the stratosphere contains sulfuric acid, the density of the…</span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0X8DYZdwrqvIYnL-GR59CgS*hMlJFFdmAoMSciMWg4Fti8aGSs0HPLpbnhapUvmpQdjhr3SBGUbtzREE3bVaxnv/venus.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/I-AtEFIik0X8DYZdwrqvIYnL-GR59CgS*hMlJFFdmAoMSciMWg4Fti8aGSs0HPLpbnhapUvmpQdjhr3SBGUbtzREE3bVaxnv/venus.jpg" width="450" class="align-right"/></a>This is an image of a soviet lander on Venus from decades ago...properly rendered for the first time. Venus is a nightmare planet. The surface is 460ºC (our bodies would not burn but as most oxygen is CO2...but would puff up instantly and then liquefy), the stratosphere contains sulfuric acid, the density of the air is so thick you cannot see more than a 25 meters or so away, the sun barely makes it through the clouds and the pressure on the surface is six times that of Earth. The fact that the Soviets got anything past the sulfuric acid clouds, landed properly, snapped a few photos before most of it melted (30 minutes later) is astonishing. The fact that no lander has gone back to visit the planet is not so surprising. The atmosphere is 98% carbon dioxide. It's basically the greenhouse effect times a gazillion. Visiting Venus is like visiting where Earth will be in a few Eons.</span></p> A fun philosophy thought experimenttag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-07:1982180:Topic:16086462016-12-07T13:59:02.754ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/LacygCl0qQKhCz*JIEeVIl4p1PQ*LWh5vrLZuMaCVsdOjx*ZfvP*g8K25lb4fuZ5XkRBpYvirNjSaQ*EYliQ2HQgNQ81Y4N*/Brickbooks2.jpg" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/LacygCl0qQKhCz*JIEeVIl4p1PQ*LWh5vrLZuMaCVsdOjx*ZfvP*g8K25lb4fuZ5XkRBpYvirNjSaQ*EYliQ2HQgNQ81Y4N*/Brickbooks2.jpg?width=300" width="300"></img></a> Here is a fun philosophical question (a variation a colleague of mine devised). It may seem superficial at first but your answer to it informs us of your stand on etymology (philosophy of knowledge), ontology (philosophy of being including the internal and the external world) as well as your take on perception and…</p>
<p><a href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/LacygCl0qQKhCz*JIEeVIl4p1PQ*LWh5vrLZuMaCVsdOjx*ZfvP*g8K25lb4fuZ5XkRBpYvirNjSaQ*EYliQ2HQgNQ81Y4N*/Brickbooks2.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/LacygCl0qQKhCz*JIEeVIl4p1PQ*LWh5vrLZuMaCVsdOjx*ZfvP*g8K25lb4fuZ5XkRBpYvirNjSaQ*EYliQ2HQgNQ81Y4N*/Brickbooks2.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Here is a fun philosophical question (a variation a colleague of mine devised). It may seem superficial at first but your answer to it informs us of your stand on etymology (philosophy of knowledge), ontology (philosophy of being including the internal and the external world) as well as your take on perception and judgement.</p>
<p>A woman is selling her grandmother's old books online. They are all faded agd some have brownish weathered spines. She counts them from a distance and counts 22 and writes that figure in her online ad. When she finds a buyer...she takes down and boxes the books. Suddenly she realises her grandmother used bricks as bookends and she counted one of the bricks as if it were a book. So was she correct in her first count?</p>
<p>After boxing the books...on closer inspection...she found there was an additional book behind that brick which she had never seen before..meaning she did after all have the right figure. However it seems as though her first count was somehow wrong...even though it was right. The question:</p>
<p>Was her first count correct?</p> God's miracletag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-05:1982180:Topic:16085992016-12-05T22:29:26.679ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
I never had a problem when it comes to someone who sits on their knees and ask "god" for something...But I do get pissed off when that someone ONLY does that and sits right there waiting for a miracle to happen...That's basically the problem of my society, a disaster happens for instance and they all are like "oh god will do his thing" then they just witness the disaster with a smile on their faces expecting angels and unicorns getting down from the sky to get things done....But nothing…
I never had a problem when it comes to someone who sits on their knees and ask "god" for something...But I do get pissed off when that someone ONLY does that and sits right there waiting for a miracle to happen...That's basically the problem of my society, a disaster happens for instance and they all are like "oh god will do his thing" then they just witness the disaster with a smile on their faces expecting angels and unicorns getting down from the sky to get things done....But nothing happens, no miracle...Apparently god's internet connection isn't that special afer all lol...atleast he should have adviced his people to get their asses from the god damn couch and start doing something instead of depending on a fake ass bitch living in the sky! Do you believe this statement? Also, I have a question about the unknown?tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-05:1982180:Topic:16083692016-12-05T02:03:53.034ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p>Even if psychic ability were to be scientifically proven, or someone demonstrated that they possessed the ability to determine what would happen in the future, that does not demonstrate that a creator exists, or that any of today's religions are true. I just want to know, because there seems to be a fair share of people who claim that they are religious because they can "tell the future". I am aware that most people on this site would be skeptical of that. However, EVEN if we gave them the…</p>
<p>Even if psychic ability were to be scientifically proven, or someone demonstrated that they possessed the ability to determine what would happen in the future, that does not demonstrate that a creator exists, or that any of today's religions are true. I just want to know, because there seems to be a fair share of people who claim that they are religious because they can "tell the future". I am aware that most people on this site would be skeptical of that. However, EVEN if we gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed for a moment that they really did have some psychic power, I don't see how that exactly verifies religion.
On a side note, this question doesn't even necessarily focus on psychic powers. There are many things that are related. For example, as I have mentioned before, I have had at least 20 cases where I had a dream depicting death of a person I know, and I wake up from that dream. Then, the next day I will find out that the person I dreamt of actually died around the same time as the dream. I would like to write this off as a coincidence, but to be honest, I feel that it has happened too many times to be labelled as a coincidence. People I know have told me that this demonstrates religion being true because they believe that I have been contacted by the soul of the person who has died. I feel that even if this idea of me being able to pick up some sort of signal regarding someone's death, even if it is true, does not demonstrate the supernatural. It could be that the brain has some way of picking up energy of the person dying, or it could be something that science cannot explain yet, but still natural. What do you guys think? Would something like this demonstrate the supernatural?</p> SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUTtag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-12-03:1982180:Topic:16083122016-12-03T04:55:22.471ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p>Everything dies.</p>
<p>Not just me and you, but our planet..gone. Our solar system and galaxy, The Milky Way...gone.</p>
<p>Then, the universe itself keeps on expanding at an ever-increasing rate while the components of which it's made break down into more and more basic components. Interactions and reactions happen less and less frequently, and then hardly at all and then never.</p>
<p>And the universe, then, will also be gone.</p>
<p>Did I say gone?</p>
<p>Or did it ever exist?</p>
<p>Everything dies.</p>
<p>Not just me and you, but our planet..gone. Our solar system and galaxy, The Milky Way...gone.</p>
<p>Then, the universe itself keeps on expanding at an ever-increasing rate while the components of which it's made break down into more and more basic components. Interactions and reactions happen less and less frequently, and then hardly at all and then never.</p>
<p>And the universe, then, will also be gone.</p>
<p>Did I say gone?</p>
<p>Or did it ever exist?</p> Hello fellow atheists :)tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-11-29:1982180:Topic:16078332016-11-29T01:03:09.184ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
I'd like to formally introduce myself, I can see myself being a pretty active user here. I'm a 35 year old divorced mom of two teenaged boys, living in Massachusetts.<br />
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I've only officially been an atheist for 5 years or so. Looking back I really can't believe it took me so long. I guess I just really wanted to believe. I didn't have an aha moment, it happened gradually.<br />
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Most people I know are Christian. Once you see the truth, there's just no going back. It can be a lonely place. I'm grateful…
I'd like to formally introduce myself, I can see myself being a pretty active user here. I'm a 35 year old divorced mom of two teenaged boys, living in Massachusetts.<br />
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I've only officially been an atheist for 5 years or so. Looking back I really can't believe it took me so long. I guess I just really wanted to believe. I didn't have an aha moment, it happened gradually.<br />
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Most people I know are Christian. Once you see the truth, there's just no going back. It can be a lonely place. I'm grateful the internet enables me to connect with others who think like I do. What do you think about this person's ability to "talk to the dead?"tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2016-11-28:1982180:Topic:16079152016-11-28T20:43:50.956ZMorgan Matthewhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/morgan
<p>The experiment began in January 2009 with Marilynn Hughes, an authority on out-of-body travel who claimed to be able to leave her body on a regular basis. The first hurdle was determining how a controlled experiment on something so intangible could be approached. Marilynn told investigators she often encountered people who have passed away during her OBEs. She also claimed to receive messages for grieving families and friends — most often from those who died leaving unresolved issues for…</p>
<p>The experiment began in January 2009 with Marilynn Hughes, an authority on out-of-body travel who claimed to be able to leave her body on a regular basis. The first hurdle was determining how a controlled experiment on something so intangible could be approached. Marilynn told investigators she often encountered people who have passed away during her OBEs. She also claimed to receive messages for grieving families and friends — most often from those who died leaving unresolved issues for themselves and their families. The investigators decided to test this claim. They designed an out-of-body experiment modeled after the work of researchers, Dr. Gary Schwartz and, Dr. Julie Beischel, at the University of Arizona.
The experiment was simple: • A volunteer unknown to Marilynn was chosen. Investigators chose a mother who had tragically lost her daughter to suicide at age 20.<br />
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• Marilynn received the first name of the deceased, the month and day (but not the year) of her birth, and the date of her passing. • Marilynn was asked to communicate with the deceased and relay back relevant messages via email. • All information passed through the investigators and Marilynn was not allowed to ask questions about the subject. From barest of personal details, Marilynn began her out-of-body travels and returned with her first installment of information: she accurately described the girl’s age, her connection to her mother, her state of mind, and details of her college environment.<br />
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Impressed by these results, investigators sent Marilynn photos of the girl and a favorite hat. Marilynn came back with more details on the circumstances surrounding the young woman’s passing. She also relayed details of a spiritual crisis before her death, and provided surprising details of the woman’s final days. At the end of the two-month investigation, investigators interviewed Marilynn and revealed the accuracy of her reading and the profound effect her messages had on the girl’s family. She was delighted and even a little surprised at her astounding accuracy. While investigators are slow to draw too many conclusions from this single trial they do believe the experiment established a couple of things:<br />
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• Marilynn picked up a level of detail about the girl, her circumstances and emotional state that was far too much to be mere guesswork and “cold reading” generalizations. • The messages conveyed to the bereaved family brought them a huge amount of healing and understanding However skeptical you may be of out-of-body experiences, results like these show that this is an area worthy of much more scientific investigation, both for the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, and for the practical aim of helping the grieving. This was one of her experiences. She has also claimed to have spoken with Michael Jackson's spirit in these experiences. Do you believe this, and what do you think could potentially be an explanation for this?</p>